Soul Sickness
by CSMichaelis
Summary: A mysterious illness creeps into the DWMA and only affects the weapons leaving the meisters to figure out a solution and save their partners. Some Maka and Soul. No flames please.
1. Chapter 1

Maka looked around the infirmary which was overcrowded with students, each one baffled by the mysterious illness that plagued the Dwma Weapons population. None of the Meisters had been touched by the ailment.

Stein had to ask that the meisters help care for their weapons during their visits and had provided the students with bowls of water and cloths. She turned her attention back to Soul who lay asleep in the bed. She can hear Black Star shouting to Tsubaki to wake, claiming that once the young girl looked up at him, she was sure to be cured. Maka fought the urge to reach over and maka chop him.

"Come on Soul, you're stronger than this, you've been through worse, why can't you come back to me?" The young scythe hadn't woken up for three days and his fever continued to rise.

"I need you here, no one knows how this happened or how to fix it. Everyone keeps getting worse, please Soul, I'm worried about you. The good news is no one's died from this and Stein says there's a chance it's going to run its course and you would get better. I could hear how unsure he was when he said it but I keep telling myself he's just upset about not being able to deal with it." She reached out and replaced the cloth on his head with a new one.

Maka gently wiped the boy's face which was covered in sweat from his temperature.

"You have to be okay, I can't do this without you. Someone has to figure it out, we'll stop them and get you guys medicine. I promise."

Meisters," Stein called out to the group."You've shown an incredible devotion to your partners and I'm sure they're grateful for it, without your help I can safely say that some of them may not be here now. A vast majority of you have been here since early this morning. I respect that. However, you won't be any good for them if you're exhausted, many of you haven't even stepped away to eat, which is why I'm sending you home for the next few hours." A chorus of protest flooded the room, Maka's voice seemed loudest.

"You can't do that, I'm not leaving Soul." She proclaimed.

"Calm down, I wasn't finished. I'm bringing in some of the students and teachers who were not affected by this illness, we'll work in shifts. It's vital to not only yourselves but to your weapons. When the group entered, Maka was surprised to find Crona suddenly beside her.

"Don't worry Maka, You guys are my friends,you taught me that friends take care of each other, so I came to help hugged her friend.

"Thanks Crona."

"It's no trouble, you would do it for me." Maka stood from her chair reluctantly as the other Meisters filed out of the infirmary.

"You too Maka, you're not exempt." The Meister sighed. She trusted Crona but would prefer to be with Soul herself.

"Please Soul, get better, be awake when I get back. I miss you, and I promise I won't be long." She whispered before making her way home.


	2. Chapter 2

Maka ran as fast as she could back to the infirmary. Stein had contacted the meisters with bad news, six of the weapons had slipped into a coma suddenly, two had begun to cough up small amounts of blood and one had died shortly after she left. Soul however had stopped breathing and had to be monitored had trouble getting him to take a breath and for the first several minutes, it seemed as if Soul wasn't going to get through.

She arrived to see a frightened Crona still at Soul's side.

"You can't leave Maka, she won't know how to deal with that. I won't either. Come on Soul, please." He replaced the compress on soul's forehead.

"Crona, I'm here now, when did-"

"Just a few minutes before professor Stein told you to come back.

"Thanks for being with him, I can take over now."

"okay, is their anything you need Maka?"

"Nothing you can do unless you can wake Soul up and make him feel alright." Maka sat down in the chair.

"Hey Soul, I'm back. I need you to do something for me, I know you already do so much, but this is really important. Fight it, you have a fight this soul, please. Lord Death has Kid looking into this, Liz and Patty weren't affected by this. We'll have the answer soon,just hold on okay?" The Meister's tears fell on her weapon's chest as she rested her head gently over his heart.

"M-Maka?" The weak voice whispered. She raised her head to find a pair of crimson eyes looking at her.

"Soul, I'm so happy to hear your voice, are you okay?" She asked worriedly.

"As okay as I can be I guess." Maka felt a deep sadness in her heart, Soul was the strongest person in her life,her rock, he wasn't supposed to be weak and lying in the infirmary, he should be at her side helping to solve the problem."

"Do you want anything?"

"Yeah, you to calm down."

"I can't, we still don't know and - things are going from bad to worse. I can't do this without you Soul."

"I'm not going anywhere for a while, you have to be strong enough for both of us right now. It's going to be fine." He turned his head to cough and had a difficult time catching his breath.

"Soul, I-"

Don't worry about it, so does anyone at least have some idea?" Maka shook her head.

"No, Lord Death is trying, he sent Kid and Black Star out to see if they could find something. I'm scared Soul."

"Don't be, it's not doing any good."

"What if we can't figure it out, if we don't know how -"

"Don't think about that. Its okay."

"no it's not, almost all the weapons are sick and what are we supposed to do?"

"You'll find a way." Soul didn't have the strength to stay awake, Maka replaced the dry cloth with another cool one and reached out to him, stroking his white hair.

"I won't let anything happen to you Soul.' She vowed. Suddenly Stein entered the room.

"Meisters, we're all upset about the loss of Akina. Lord Death has a request that I was told to mention to you all. He needs four or five Meisters to meet him in the death room, There's a special mission he needs to send this group on. Unfortunately it's without your weapons so please think carefully.

Maka didn't need to think twice, she had to go, for soul.

"Hey Crona, can I get you to help me look after Soul?"

"Sure maka, you're going aren't you?"

"Yes. Will you please promise me that you'll do what you can for him."

"I promise, I'll stay by him,I can deal with this."

"Thanks Crona, I owe you."

"just be careful and come back as soon as you can" Crona replied and Maka vanished into the hall along with three other students. She would find what was causing this and make Soul well if it was the last thing she did.


	3. Chapter 3

Maka stood quietly among the group of Meisters,she could hear faint whispers of conversations going on around words offered no hope.

"We'll never figure this out in time. It's just not possible to trace a virus or whatever this is to its source." One girl had said.

"At least not in enough time. Even if we did manage to find the answer, what if we're forced to fight, we don't have our weapon partners. It's hopeless."

'It can't be hopeless, Soul needs this. I'm not going to let him die because it doesn't seem to be a possibility of figuring things out. There's always a way don't let them get to you there's nothing Soul would do for me,he needs that now. Don't listen anymore." Maka tried to drown out the voices with her own thoughts. Suddenly, the voices ceased and Maka turned her attention to the middle of the room where lord death now stood.

"Meisters, I realize that our current situation seems impossible to get through and you're all afraid for not only the lives of your partners and friends but for your own without them. The truth is...we have no idea where to even start. It's a very real possibility that we won't have enough time to solve it and if that happens -"

"Lord Death, I need to talk to you." Spirit said rushing into the death room.

"What's going on Spirit?" Maka watched her father approach the reaper and whisper something in his ear. The reaper shook his head.

"Rin, Yuki, please follow spirit." The group turned to the two Meisters, the young girls already had tears in their eyes.

"It's Takumi isn't it?" Rin asked though it seemed to Maka that she already knew.

"And Kaito?" Yuki wiped the tears on her sleeve.

"I can explain when we-"

"They're gone aren't they?" The girls sobbed. Spirit sighed and nodded.

"Yes, I'm very sorry girls. If you follow me, I'll take you to say goodbye." Yuki put her arm around Rin as they followed. Maka felt relieved that it hadn't been Soul, though her heart went out to the girls.

"We have to work quickly to find a solution. There's only three of you left to take on the , Kyami, and Olivia. I'll try to get more to help you but as you can see,that's not an easy job. Be careful, who knows what's behind this. I-"

"Maka." Spirit called and her heart sank. She turned to face him.

"I need you to come with me." The other two gasped and held their hands to their mouths. They had noticed how close Maka was to Soul and as she followed her father, from the room she heard the faint voices behind her.

"Poor Maka,they're so close." Oliva whispered.

"She'll be so devastated. I don't know what I'll do if I lose Cole."Kyami said back.

"Papa,d-did Soul-" she let her voice trail off unable to finish the question.

"No. It's not about Soul. Crona's sick."

"What, how can Crona be sick, he's not -"

"Ragnarok got it and since they share a body, it's a problem for both of them." They reached the infirmary where Stein was attempting to force Crona to lie down.

"Maka and Soul need me, I can't!" He protested over the sound of his weapon groaning. Crona wrapped his arms around his stomach. Maka ran to him.

"It's okay Crona, rest. Everything will be fine, you did good taking care of Soul and I'm grateful, right now I need you to look after yourself and Ragnarok." She said softly laying him down.

"M-my stomach really hurts Maka, I don't know how to deal with this." She stroked his hair.

"Just try to relax Crona, sleep if you can. Sometimes that helps."

" But I promised to help with Soul." He looked over to the bed on his left.

"You did, it's cool if you need to lie down. You did great."Soul assured him trying to stay awake.

"You two are just going to have to look after each other as much as possible. Can you do that?" Maka asked.

"I think so." Crona replied apprehensively.

""Soul, how are you doing?"

"Same as when you left. You plan on leaving don't you?" Maka nodded.

"I'm going to figure it out for you and Crona, I promise."

"Hey, just promise me something." Soul requested.

"Anything."

"Don't be an idiot, I can't be there to stop you this time."

"I promise if you and Crona make me a promise too."

"What's that?"

"Be here when I get back."

"I promise." Crona said.

"Soul, I mean it, if you die-"

"If I do you'll never have to talk to me again."

"Soul, I'll kill you if you die before I get back." Maka said seriously.

The ailing boy smirked.

"I'd like like to see you try." He teased.

"Don't give me reason to show ?"

"Promise. I'm too cool to die anyway."

"I wish life worked that way." She said sadly.

"Remember your promise you two." The young Meister said sternly.

"We'll remember as long as you remember to keep yours so we can keep ours." Soul closed his eyes tightly.

"What's wrong?" Maka's voice was filled with fear.

"It's nothing, happens sometimes. It doesn't last long."

"Tell me."

"Maka, I just told you. There's nothing much to say about it."

"What hurts?"

"Nothing, I'm okay."

"You don't just do something like that,something's wrong."

"you worry too much." She knew he wasn't going to tell her.

"Alright then. Get some rest."

"Meisters, second shift is starting now,you can see your friends in the morning. We'll tell you about any changes in their condition.."Stein announced.

"Go get something to eat Maka, I'll stay for a while." Spirit said sitting down. Maka hesitated but promised to return shortly before leaving.

"You're not going to tell Maka are you Soul?" Crona asked.

"No point in it. It's just going to make it worse for her, she'll know soon enough,try to get some sleep,we're going to need all the strength we can save up."


	4. Chapter 4

"We're basically going into this blindly, we have no idea what caused the weapons to get sick, no clue who could be behind this and not much time at all. What're we supposed to do?" Kyami asked.

"I don't know, I guess we can try to talking about what was happening before our partners started feeling sick. Did you do anything out of the usual, or maybe they ate something that was different?"Olivia added, Maka shook her head.

"Soul didn't do anything out of our ordinary routine, We went on our mission and came home. He didn't eat anything the day before that but he does that sometimes. I can't think of anything else."Maka said.

"Cole was fine and one day I heard him crying out in pain, he was holding his stomach but I don't remember him eating anything different and we didn't have a mission. He was just..sick and there was nothing to explain it, I thought he had appendicitis the or something, it was awful." Kyami wiped away her tears.

"We were talking about what we were going to do this weekend, Ai was fine and then it hit her pretty hard and she couldn't move. Then about a day later she had a terrible fever. I don't see a connection to any of the cases, though its true that I haven't talked to any of the others, I can't imagine how this happened and spread so fast." Olivia sighed. Moments later, Spirit appeared escorting two young girls and Black Star.

"What's going on Papa?"Maka asked.

"Lord death asked me to bring you some already know Black Star, but these young ladies are Akane and Rhiannon. They're here to help." Spirit announced.

Maka looked at the girls.

Akane,she decided had to be slightly younger than herself. Her short black hair was slightly spiked and her cyan eyes showed her determination.

Rhiannon's hair was dark brown,her emerald eyes were filled with concern,Maka found that she felt sad for her. The girl seemed to be on the verge of tears as she stood before the group.

"Hello." She greeted with a polite bow.

"Hi, I'm Maka, this is Kyami and Olivia, we're glad you're here, we can use all the help we can get."

"We've talked enough, let's go do something about it!" Black Star shouted.

"If we knew anything about it we would have already done something." She said angrily.

"We don't have time to waste, our partners -"

"Don't you think I know that, Soul isn't lying there because he feels like it. I know this has to be solved and it's killing me right now. I want everyone better too, if you have any bright ideas please enlighten us." Maka challenged. Black Star fell silent.

"I didn't think so." Maka turned away from him, her arms crossed over her chest.

"You can argue later, right now our friends are more important. Don't lose sight of our goal." Akane said. Maka sighed.

"You're right. They need us, I just don't know what to do,it's already been three days and we haven't come up with anything at all." Maka turned to the group spirit had brought.

"Before you got here, we were talking about what was going on before everyone got sick. Did anything unusual happen with your partners?" She asked. There was a moment of silence.

"Zia and I were on a mission, we were following a lead for Lord Death. Zia said she heard something, like someone whispering behind her from an alley but no one was around. I know that sounds crazy but she doesn't normally hear things like that."Akane told her.

"Cyan and I were just taking a walk, just enjoying the evening and then he started feeling dizzy. We stopped for a while but by the time we got back, he was telling me he felt really sick. He was in the infirmary the next morning."Rhiannon said.

"So at least three of us were it's just a virus or something." Kyami concluded.

"It's awfully strange that a normal virus would be selective about who it infects." Akane pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Maybe we should look into this as being caused by the usual suspects. We'll have to-"

"Maka." The young Meister turned to find Kid behind her.

"What's going on Kid, did you find anything?" She asked.

"I don't know if it'll lead you to anything, the information hasn't been verified yet but I can tell you this, it's not something that happened naturally, and you need to be very careful." Kid gave Maka a carefully folded paper.

"Also, I'm coming with you, you're going to need all the help you can get."

Inside the infirmary, Stein found himself overwhelmed as many of the students' conditions worsened. The Meisters that reminded rushed to follow his instructions in an effort to save their friends.

"Soul, do you think Maka's going to be okay?" Crona asked worriedly.

"It's Maka, she'll be fine,she's a strong girl." Soul said weakly.

"Yeah, she is. If anyone can figure it out, she can. I just hope we can keep our promise to her." Crona replied.

"That's right." After a few minutes Soul spoke again.

"Hey Crona, can I ask you to do something for me?"

"Sure soul, whatever you need."

"If I can't keep my promise to her, if something happens-"

"Soul, you can't do that to Maka. She really needs you. You're her best friend. Please don't give in." Crona pleaded.

"I don't plan on it, but things don't always go as planned. If I can't be there for her, can I count on you to be?"

"Yes. If you really want me to." Crona winced at the pain in his stomach.

"It's not an easy request to make, I've been looking after her since our first year here, we've been through a lot of fights and each time I've always protected her as best I could. To not be able to do that now- I have to do what's best for her. You know?" Crrona wasn't surprised by this. He knew the pair was close. He suspected that their feeling toward each other went far beyond Meister,weapon, maybe even beyond friends.

"You'll keep looking out for her even when you're so sick, you must really care about her."

"As long as I'm breathing, I'll do what I need to for her, even if it means that I have to ask someone to take over for me. She'll need a friend when I can't be there. It's an important job and you're going to have to toughen up but I think you can do this."

"I will, but please try really hard to get through this. I'm not as brave as you."

"You'll surprise yourself sometimes." Soul ignored the pain traveling through his body.

"I hope you're right Soul, but more than that I hope you can keep your promise, Maka won't know what to do without you."


	5. Chapter 5

Stein sighed, he lowered himself onto a chair.

"Not giving up on those kids are you?" Spirit asked in concern.

"No. But there's not a hell of a lot I can do for them either. Some seem to be holding on pretty tight, but if things keep up, this illness may wipe out a vast majority of the weapons. Most of the strongest students were hit harder than others."

"But you can figure it out, you're-"

"It doesn't matter. From what I've seen these kids go through, the pain and weakness that just take over, maybe it's not a bad idea to -"

"You don't mean that!" Spirit cried in alarm.

"It's probably the easiest choice. Of course the others will have to-"

"I don't believe this, you can't be serious. Maka's group is a good one, they'll stop whoever did this."

"Tell me, how do you stop someone if you don't know who they are, there isn't much time. Soul's losing ground too fast and Crona's starting to get to the same point. Do I need to mention the fact that three more were -"

"You don't have to say it, I was there." Spirit shook his head. A long silence passed between them.

"I suppose we should check on the patients, maybe they'll surprise us and start reacting to something." Spirit followed Stein from the room, he knew he shouldn't expect much,but still held some hope that the students would take a turn for the better.

"Rhiannon?" Akane asked looking at the papers in front of her.

"But she's supposed to have died centuries ago." Olivia pointed out.

"According to this that's true, but it wouldn't be the first time we had this problem and it's worth checking out." Kid said.

"Witches are notorious for faking their deaths if they're backed into a corner. We owe it to the fallen weapons to explore every option we come across." He added.

"If that's true, then where do look and how do we do this without our weapons, we're basically powerless without our partners."

"We'll look everywhere starting just outside the city. We'll have to take extra precaution It's not much, but we've got Liz and Patty to help us. I'm sorry but I don't have much more in the way of protection to offer,but I have a lot of faith in them and I know they won't let us down."

"Thanks. Kid, that really means a lot to us." Liz said surprised by the strong words.

"But we've been looking around the City and nothing unusual was reported." Maka said.

"Rhiannon is a pretty powerful witch, it doesn't surprise me that no one's heard anything yet, my guess is even if they had she would probably kill them before they had a chance to say anything."

"We'd better get started then, there's no time to sit and do nothing. " Akane said leaving the rest of the group to follow behind. Maka thought of Soul and Crona, She wondered if they were okay and hoped that despite the hopelessness of the situation, they would find some way to save them.

"Hold on a little longer Soul and Crona, we'll figure it out." She whispered to herself.

"Soul, are you okay?" Crona forced himself to sit up and turned his attention to his friend.

"I don't know, it feels like something's trying to -" Soul was obviously feeling a tremendous pain in his body.

"Just hold on Soul, Professor Stein will be in soon, maybe he'll give you something to help you rest." Crona tried to comfort Soul but wasn't sure what else to do.

"I-I can't-" Soul said weakly. Crona stood up and crossed the short distance to Soul's bed. His own stomach pain was becoming difficult to handle.

"please don't say that, Maka can do this, we'll be better soon. Please Soul, just try to be okay for her. She needs you." Crona said worriedly. He had never seen Soul act this way, the young scythe was always strong for his Meister. It frightened Crona. Spirit and Stein had heard Crona's pleas and rushed over to them.

"Professor stein, will Soul be okay?" Crona asked while Spirit forced him back into bed.

Stein didn't answer, he was already trying to calm his patient.

"Soul, I need you to relax now, can you tell me what's wrong?"

"I hurt." He said simply.

"What does?"

"E-everything, like something trying to-" Soul couldn't finish speaking,Stein placed a hand on Soul's forehead.

"Fever spiked." He grabbed a pen and pad from the bedside table and quickly wrote on the paper before handing it to Spirit.

"I need you to get everything on this list and bring it back to me quickly. I don't know how to cure these students but I can help manage their pain. Be very careful about reading the labels, we can't afford any errors." Spirit nodded and rushed out of the room to find the items.

"Soul, listen to me, you can't give into your illness, Maka's counting on you being here. You're not just her weapon, she's said many times that you're also her best friend, if you allow yourself to be taken by it, Maka will lose more than just a partner. You know what would happen don't you?"

"M-Maka can-"

"It would break her, Soul I know she means a lot to you, it's easy to see, from the first time you said to me you weren't going to let me near her, I saw it in your eyes, she was never just a Meister to you, you would die for her not because it's your job, but because you value her life above your own. I need you to think of her now. When Spirit comes back, I'll give you something to help you but right now, I need you to rest...For Maka."

"Can't." He said weakly. "I failed her,I didn't -"

"Shh, you didn't fail anyone Soul, you're still here and that's what Maka really wants. Just hold on until this is figured out and-" Soul felt himself being pulled into darkness.

I'm so sorry Maka, I wasn't strong enough to keep my promise.' He thought. 'I hope Crona can be, don't leave her Crona, you can't. You'll be the one she comes to now. It's hard for me to do this to her,but I have to do what's best for her and right now that's all I can give. Take good care of Maka."


	6. Chapter 6

Crona sat up in bed, his arms wrapped around his stomach. He still couldn't believe what had happened. Stein was still standing beside the bed with Spirit. Both men were looking down at Soul,who lay motionless before them.

"Professor Stein, y-you can fix him right?" Crona said finally.

"I'm afraid not. It doesn't look good for Soul,judging by what I've seen with the other students, and his current condition,the rapid decline of his health just in the last few minutes, He's not going to make it until Maka gets back. Hell, Soul may not even last the night." Stein rested a hand on the boy's chest.

"He's still breathing but it's really hard to tell just looking at him, and I've never seen anyone so pale,I can't do much for him at this point. The best thing might be just to keep him asleep to avoid the pain." Spirit looked at him.

"You mean you're just going to keep him comfortable?" Stein adjusted the screw in his head and sighed heavily.

"That's exactly what I mean. It'll be peaceful, he won't feel anything and when he can't hold on, he'll just -"

"Soul won't let go, he can't. My Maka needs him and as much as I hate it, she loves him. I don't trust many people with my daughter's life, but I always knew he would protect her. As her father, I kind of owe him for the times he almost died for her. I'm sure it was more than we're aware of. I can't just sit back and let Maka's heart be shattered."

"We don't have a choice. Soul's a good kid, but so are the others. This is exactly what happened to them. Fever spiking, extreme pain, mostly in the abdominal area. I'm willing to bet he was trying to tell us it felt like he was being torn apart,that's the way the weapons described it just before the passed." Stein shook his head.

"He's about as alright as he's going to get right now,I need to see to the others, I'll check on Soul in about an hour. Prove me wrong Soul,for Maka and to give us some hope." He placed a cool cloth on Soul's forehead and turned to Crona.

"Do you feel any different?" He asked moving to Crona's bedside.

"My stomach hurts a little more,it feels kind of sharp but I don't think my fever went up at all." Stein nodded.

"Lie down, I'm going to check you." Crona did as he was told and allowed Stein to examine his vital signs. When he pressed on Crona's belly, the young boy cried out.

"Tenderness, you didn't have that last time."

"I can deal with this,I promised Soul I'd take care of Maka until he's better, he is going to be better because -because he's Soul and he's brave and strong and Soul always does what's best for Maka and he's what's best for her." Crona declared.

"Hold on to that hope,we'll need it. I'll get you something for pain. That's all I can offer."

"Thank you. I know it's not easy but I know you're doing the best you can." Crona closed his eyes as Stein and Spirit left. He hoped if he allowed himself to sleep,it would help.

"What's wrong with you?"Black Star asked sitting next to Maka. She had been quiet for most of the journey.

"I just have a feeling something isn't right with Soul. It's hard to explain but I feel it in my heart and I'm not there for him."

"Only because you're here trying to stop this. You can't pay attention to that right now,otherwise we're not gonna get anywhere."

"I know,but I'm really worried about -"

"Don't you think I'm worried too, Tsubaki's got it too and Soul's a good friend. I know what you're feeling but I can't let it get to me. What would Soul say to you if he was here?" Maka knew all too well what he would say. His voice played in her mind.

"Damn it Maka, we don't have time for this, it's not cool to be this way while everyone needs us. Get moving."

"Right." She said clenching her fists in determination. The group continued until they had reached the outskirts of the city. They were unaware of the hooded figure watching them from the rooftop of a nearby house. The glowing emerald eyes fixed on them as they walked. A low chuckle came from the figure and a devilish smile crept onto the face.

"Mere children have been sent to stop Lady Rhiannon's plan, she'll be pleased, this will be easier than she thought."


	7. Chapter 7

"I'm glad you're awake again, when professor stein said you weren't going to live through the night, I was afraid you would give up. I think Ragnarok might have, he hasn't come out or-"

"He's probably just really tired, it takes a lot outta you to be sick like this, maybe he's trying to rest." Soul said weakly. He had been slipping in and out of consciousness for four days after waking up two days after his illness had progressed. Soul's strength was for the most part gone. He struggled constantly to be awake. Crona would leave his bed and sit beside Soul, talking to him and hoping that his friend could somehow hear him.

"Soul," he would say softly.

"Soul, you have to get up, I know we keep telling you that, and I know you're tired in more than one way. Everyone mentions Maka and how much she needs you. I'm not going to tell you that tonight." Crona paused briefly.

"Maka would want the best for you too,she wouldn't like knowing you have so much pain, it hurts me because you're my friend, you always put everyone first when you have to and you're the strongest person I know. We can't expect you to keep this up for us. You do a lot for her, I just want you to know that I see you trying to come back to us, you're struggling with this but I'm glad you're still here. I'll keep my promise to you, Maka will be looked after but I know she'll be much happier with you taking care of one can take your place in her life." He was surprised but grateful that Soul had decided that Stein was wrong. Though it had taken a while, Soul had indeed pulled himself back. Now Crona's fears were somewhat quieted.

"It's good to have you back Soul, Maka's going to be very happy to see you when she gets back, that's why you're fighting so much isn't it,for her?"

"She's the only reason, if it was just me,I wouldn't be doing this,sorry about the moment of weakness, but I couldn't handle it and I was -"

"no one can be strong all the time.i can't think of what happened to you as you being weak at all though. You were hurting really bad it's understandable. I can see why Maka tells me that she wants to be strong like you." Crona smiled.

"Did anyone saw anything about Tsubaki?"

"I heard Spirit say she's not doing really good but she's got a firm grip."

"Good, she'll be fine, she knows Black Star needs her, even if he doesn't admit to it." Soul's voice was becoming more faint and his eyes were beginning to close.

"Soul, you're not going to pass out again are you, should I call for professor Stein?" Soul didn't reply

"Wake up Soul, you can't do that again." Crona stood up and took a step toward the bed. He took hold of his bed to steady himself. Crona slowly reached Soul's bed and sat down. He took a damp cloth and began to dab the boy's face and forehead with it.

"Come on Soul, please don't do this open your eyes and look at me, for Maka." For several minutes Crona continued, calling to his friend. Soul struggled but managed to open his eyes as Stein came to check on them.

"Crona,you have to stay in bed, you can't afford to overexert yourself. Lie down."

"But Soul was-"

"if there's a problem, call for me and I'll take a look." He helped Crona back to bed and turned back to Soul. The young weapon was noticeably paler and moaning softly

"Soul, is it your stomach again?"Stein asked placing his hand on Soul's head.

"He did it again, we were talking and he passed out,that's why I was out of bed." Stein nodded.

"Alright, Soul, how are you feeling today?"

"Sick." He said weakly,he seemed to be having trouble focusing.

"Like vomiting sick?" Soul nodded.

"Still in pain?"

"Yeah. Feels worse."

"Alright, let's have a look." Stein carefully moved Soul's shirt and put his hands on the boy's belly. He pressed lightly on the area and allowed the pressure to slowly increase. Soul gasped.

"It's guarded." He said as he pulled Soul's red shirt back into place and covered Soul with the blanket.

"W-what's that?" Soul asked attempting to recover from the pain.

"Your stomach is involuntarily rigid. This can happen when you get a stomach ache and it's your body trying to protect you from the pain."

"It's not doing a very good job." Soul said feeling himself getting ready to vomit.

"Do you need something to throw up in?" Stein asked helping his patient to lay on his side and managed to get the wastebasket over to the bedside as Soul could no longer hold it in.

Stein sighed as he sat beside the ill boy.

"It's best for it to come out now, try to relax." The man soothed, he appeared to be calm but his mind was not. The crimson fluid that was coming from the boy could only mean that he was somehow bleeding internally, something Stein hadn't seen with the illness,leaving him to assume that the students had died before reaching this stage and the ones who still remained, had not yet entered this stage.

When Soul had finished, Stein leaned him back onto his back, carefully resting his head on the pillow. Soul was barely consciousness and his breathing was labored.

"You made it this far, I need you to help me figure this out." Stein told him, he dipped a cloth into the container of cool water and called for Spirit. It was clear as Crona watched that Soul's pain worsened.

"What's wrong?"Spirit asked rushing over?"

"sit here with Soul, as of right now he's going to need you at his bedside as much as you can, when you have to get up, you call me."

"He's-"

"Just sit there." Stein picked up the wastebasket carefully.

"What are you -"

"He's the only one that got this far, maybe with a new approach we can come up with something."

"Queen Rhiannon, I bring you good news." The quiet voice said as the figure knelt before its queen.

"What is it Tsugami?" The cold voice asked.

"The school has responded to your work by sending children, none of which have a weapon. The only one I can foresee being a problem is the young reaper."

"A reaper is no match for me Tsugami. Everything is perfect, go to Yuri and have the guests escorted to me as quickly as you can. The sooner i deal with them, the faster it will be to achieve my goal." Tsugami gave a short bow and then rushed from the room. It wouldn't be long before Rhiannon completed the task.


	8. Chapter 8

"Maka, we've been out here forever. I don't think we're going to find anything. Let's just go." Rhiannon complained. Maka spun around, narrowing her eyes angrily at the girl.

"I'm not going back, Soul wouldn't let me die just because it's taking a long time to find out what's going on. What about Cyan, don't you want to help him get better?"

"Of course I do, he's my friend, but what we should be doing is looking after them and letting them know how much we love them...before it's too late." tears fell from her eyes as she finished speaking and turned from Maka.

"You don't know that we won't find anything, we can't just give up when it's too hard, you know, if Soul did that, I'd be dead already and-"

"Not everyone is like your precious Soul, you can't keep saying that!" Rhiannon fired back.

"Enough, bickering isn't getting us anywhere. Rhiannon, you can go back if you want to, no one will stop you. That goes for all of you, but I'm going to keep looking a while longer, you can either come along or not." Kid said.

"I'm going with you, I came to find a way to get Soul back on his feet and that's what I'm doing." Maka declared.

"I have to agree with Maka and Kid, nothing will be gained by quitting."Akane added.

"Nothing's being gained by wandering around, looking for something that obviously isn't there!"Rhiannon shot back.

"Then turn back, we can't afford to waste time."Maka said "Just remember you gave up, you're the one that;s not going to accomplish anything How can you just turn your back on-"

"Shut up!" Rhiannon shrieked closing her hands into tight fists as tears ran down her cheeks. "You don't understand anything, we're not all like you and your precious Soul. Did you see how much pain they were in back there, some of them actually died Maka, and we have nothing to fight with how do you expect to take on a powerful witch with nothing, we're going to get ourselves killed and Cyan will-" She covered her face with her hands sobbing quietly, seconds later she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"It's alright, I know this isn't exactly an ideal situation for anyone and you're scared, a lot of people are, there's no shame in it but you have to make a choice. If you can be okay with going back to the academy then do so. If you can't then try to calm yourself down, it'll only get worse if you keep going this way," Kid said gently,

Rhiannon looked into the young reaper's golden eyes.

"I feel so conflicted, I want them to get better, but Cyan needs me there. If he's dying then I need to be with him." Kid nodded.

"Then you should take some time to think about it. Black Star can walk back with you. To make sure you get back okay."

"No way, if you think I'm going to let you guys have-"

"Go." Kid growled interrupting what was sure to be a long winded rant about how gifted Black Star believed himself to be,

"Black Star, can you check on Soul for me, and Crona?" Maka called after him, he gave no sign that he heard her, causing her to sigh deeply.

"He'll be fine Maka, it's Soul, he always manages to find a way." Kid comforted. "Let's keep going now, I'm hoping it won't be long until we-" Kid was interrupted when the ground beneath them began to shake and the blue sky above them became dark with what appeared to be small flashes of lightning over their heads.

"What's going on Kid?" Liz called moving closer to Patty.

"I don't know. Whatever it is we should be ready for it." The sisters nodded, transforming into their weapon form.

"Maka, Akane, We can handle this. If something happens, I need the two pf you to go to my father and let him know what we've found." Kid said sternly.

"I'm not turning back, Soul-"

"Maka, if you want to save Soul and Crona, you have to get out of here, otherwise-" A flash of lightning lit up the sky before the bolt struck the ground, splitting the ground between the group. Maka could see a figure in the now nearly blinding light.

"Go Maka, I'll help Kid hold them off." Akane said pushing her out of the way just in time to avoid being struck.

"But-"

"Run, now, Kid has his weapons we've got a good shot at this. Soul needs you to pass this information on to lord death and maybe bring some more help." Maka hesitated before turning and running from the scene.

Stein stood beside the bed where Soul was lying, he had taken Soul and Crona from the infirmary to a quieter, setting withing the DWMA having sent for his own equipment. He watched as the two slowly woke and scanned their surroundings sleepily.

"How are you two feeling?" Stein asked catching the attention of his patients.

"I don't feel very good." Crona admitted closing his eyes again.

"Stay awake for just a little longer, I need to talk to the two of you about something important. This could be the difference between a lot of people dying or living and I know that's a lot to put on your shoulders but I need to have some understanding of what this is and Soul, so far you're the only one that's gotten this far into the illness and is still here. I would need to run some tests on you both. Soul, I know you're really weak right now and you're in a lot of pain but honestly your participation would be extremely helpful in possibly finding a way to treat and cure this. I should warn you that it could pose a slightly higher risk to your health at this point. You may remember me mentioning to you that you have some internal bleeding, seeing as it presented itself the way it did suggests that it could possibly require surgery to stop it, if you would-"

"Whatever you have to do to find away to stop this, just do it." Soul replied weakly. "Right now it doesn't seem like there's too many options, if these tests you talked about don't kill me, the sickness probably will. Just try not to let Maka find out too much about it. She'll Maka chop us both into oblivion."

"How do you do it Soul, you're always so brave?"

"I'm not always, only when I have to be. I told you, sometimes you surprise yourself. Just remember, if something happens to me, I need you to be with Maka. She'll really need someone to be there. You'll need to encourage her to-"

"I'll remember, but please don't leave her. Maka really does need you. She won't know how to deal with that." Soul turned his head to look at his friend.

"That's why she'll need you. I'm going to do this and if it works out, it could make you better. That means that you can't-"

"I won't, I promise." Crona vowed, he knew what Soul was asking.

"Good. Crona, your part in this will be one of the first to be treated and as soon as the other three I've selected are stable enough, I'll begin administering the medicine I'm hoping to develop to more students in the hopes that it does its job. It's not going to to be easy." Soul sighed.

"It never is." He replied. Stein nodded.

"I'm impressed. Each time we ask too much of you students, you rise to the occasion without hesitation, you make this academy the extraordinary place it is."

"Coming from the best meister to graduate, I guess that's a pretty big complement." Crona said in awe.

"That's right, now what I'd like to do is start with checking vitals, while I'm doing that,you two should lie still and rest, I'll do my best to give you a break as often as I can. Rest is still vital." Stein said placing a stethoscope on Soul's chest. The young weapon closed his eyes quietly.

"Soul, how do you feel about getting started within the next few minutes?"

"That's fine, like I said, do what you have to do." Stein rested a hand on Soul's forehead.

"Still burning up. I'll have to try to bring it down a bit before I do anything." he moved to Crona and did the same.

"you're cooler than Soul is but your temperature is still up there. I'll go get a few things and be right back." He exited the room. Crona sat up in bed, turning to let his feet touch the floor.

"Are you sure this is a good idea Soul, with you being so sick and everything, I don't think Maka would like it."

"She wouldn't but sometimes you just have to do these things no matter who doesn't like it. If I can do something to help everyone else, she'd understand eventually. Either way as it stands I don't have much time, you heard Stein."

Crona bowed his head, how could he tell Maka, would he even have the chance?

"If you thought that, why didn't you try harder to stop her from going?" He asked.

"She needs to know that she did everything she could for me or it's going to be worse for her. I don't want her to constantly feel like she could've done something when she couldn't have. Anyway, do you really think I want her to see this, I don't want her to watch me die do you have any idea how painful that would be for her..how hard it is to see it in her eyes and know those tears are there because of me, I can't lie here and watch her heart break like that."

"You really do love Maka don't you?"

"More than anything."Soul coughed harshly, causing his ribs and stomach to ache badly. It didn't go unnoticed. Crona stood up and reached out, placing a hand on top of Soul's.

"I'm sorry Soul. I wish I could give you back to her. She needs you, not me. If I could take your place and give you a better chance-"Soul smiled faintly.

"That's why I asked you to take care of her." He said.

"What do you mean, I don't think I understand." Soul did his best to ignore his pain, it was getting the best of him now.

"I asked you because I know you love her just as much as I do." He replied closing his eyes once again. He knew he would need to save the little strength he had now, whatever time remained for him wasn't going to be easy.


	9. Chapter 9

"How's the research plan coming?" Spirit asked handing Stein a box filled with the surgical supplies from his lab. Stein sighed.

"We have a little set back, I haven't been able to do any of the things I'd like to just yet. Soul's body is very weak and his temperature just won't come down, if it was just that, this wouldn't be so difficult, He's still bleeding internally."

"You can stop it though can't you?"

"I can't promise you anything, depending on the situation, internal bleeding has been known to stop on its own with rest and other times minimal treatment. Soul's going to have to have surgery to fix it. He could very possibly die of blood loss if I did that."

"He'll die from it if you don't, what are going to do?" Stein lit one of his cigarettes and shook his head.

"I only have one option, I'll have to do it and hope he has enough strength in him to stay with us. It's a lot of pressure on us both, he's bleeding into his abdomen, that's one of the worst hemorrhages you can deal with when it's this severe." He explained.

"Soul's a tough kid, he can do this."Spirit said not bothering to look at his former partner.

"Let's hope so, Soul's the best chance we have." Stein admitted.

"Is there anything I can do?" Spirit could only think of Maka, he would do anything for his daughter, his heart sank at the thought of having to tell her that Soul was no longer with them. He could see it now, the shattered look, hear the heart shattering cries and he knew nothing he or anyone else would do could console her, there were no words or actions capable of healing a broken heart.

_Come on Soul Eater, you're not allowed to die, Maka needs you. I'll be damned if I let you hurt her like that._ Spirit thought to himself feeling slightly angry at the boy.

"Do you need me to do anything?" Stein finished his cigarette and dropped it to the ground.

"I might need you to watch over Crona while Soul's having surgery, When I bring Soul back to his bed, he'll need to be watched closely while I see to the other students. That's something that-"

"Professor Stein!" A frantic voice called from behind, causing the men to turn quickly. The boy took a moment to catch his breath before continuing.

"We need you in the infirmary, Kai and Genesis are having some sort of fit or something, they're shaking and their eyes are open but-"

"Show me." Stein said rushing from the room.

"Go check on Soul and Crona, I'll be there as soon as I can." He called over his shoulder and vanished from sight.

Maka ran through the streets of the city, her legs were getting tired and it was getting harder to breathe. She felt that any moment now she may collapse but refused to give in.

_Soul and Crona are counting on me and I won't let them down. I can't be weak now I have to make it back It's only a little further now._ Maka told herself. She hadn't looked back once the fight started and hoped everyone was alright.

Maka ran for what seemed like forever until she reached the stairs that led to the DWMA. Her legs were shaking as she lifted them to the first step, surprised that she was still standing. All that mattered now was that she speak to Lord Death and send help for Kid and Akane. She would remain firm in her goal and nothing would stop her. She could hear Soul's voice in her head, urging her to continue.

_Come on Maka, you're almost there, just keep going._ Maka drew in a deep breath and began sprinting as best she could up the towering staircase.

_I'm coming Soul, no matter what, I'll be strong like you. _She swore silently. Maka managed to make it to the tenth step before her legs gave way and she was just quick enough to catch herself with her hands. She could go no further. She gazed down at the step, tears filling her eyes as the realization hit her. She had failed.

She attempted to get up but her body wouldn't allow it, she soon began to drag herself, mostly supported by her arms the rest of the way, hoping that before long she would be able to stand once more before she reached the top.

"Maka?"Black Star called rushing over to her. What happened?" He bent down to help her, allowing Maka to lean on him.

"I-I have to get to Lord Death, I have to tell him about Kid and Akane, Rhiannon-" She cried.

"What's-"

"It's important and I have to get there now, please just-"

"yeah, come on, we'll get there." Black Star promised helping his friend the rest of the way up and into the academy. She just hoped Akane and Kid had survived and would join them soon.


	10. Chapter 10

Maka leaned back in the chair, finally able to rest after informing Lord Death of the situation.

"Thank you for telling me this," He had said calling in Sid and giving instructions to lead a group to the spot. They left soon after.

"Feeling any better Maka?" The reaper asked. Maka shook her head.

"I'm more worried about Soul and Crona, have you heard anything about them?" She asked, she could feel her body shaking.

"No, I'm sorry. No news could be good news. If something had happened to them Spirit or Stein would have come to me immediately. Right now, I need you to rest, when you're up to it I have a job for you." Maka merely nodded.

"Is it possible that I could see them first, I just need to know that they're-"

"Lord Death, I have-Maka, what happened?" Spirit asked entering the room and rushing over to his daughter.

"I'm fine." Maka insisted.

"Are you sure, you look-"

"I said I'm fine." She replied angrily. Spirit sighed but turned from her.

"What is it Spirit?" Lord Death was clearly more concerned.

"We-two more students have died, the sickness seems to be changing, the symptoms are-"

"It wasn't S-"

"No Maka Soul's still here and Crona too."Spirit added quickly much to Maka's relief.

"So Stein hasn't figured it out yet, if this keeps up-"

"There's more," Spirit said interrupting the reaper. "Stein thought if he did some more tests it might give him some answers and might give him a way to treat this, it's taking a bit longer to get started but it could work. One of the students volunteered to let Stein do the necessary tests and so far they are the most advanced case. If we get the results we need, they could possibly be saved."

"I see, and where is Stein now, why hasn't he come to me with this information, who is this student?"

"He had to check on a couple things and then he's going into surgery with one of the weapons. Without it, the student doesn't have much time, he's bleeding internally, losing a lot of blood."

"Whatever this illness is, it can't be allowed to go on. The weapons can't take much more, brave as they are. I'm fairly sure the Meisters are in the same boat in a way." Lord Death sighed.

"There's not much that can be done right now, We have to come up with something this is getting us nowhere and by the time-"

"Lord Death!" Sid shouted running toward the group, the reaper turned quickly.

"What's wrong?"

"It's Kid and Akane, they- we need Stein immediately."

"What's wrong with Kid, where is he?" Lord Death panicked attempting to see past the zombie and into the hall.

"I'll go see if he's started yet." Spirit offered rushing from the room. Lord Death followed close behind and was met by a scene that made his heart drop. Kid was lying on the floor covered in crimson and unresponsive to the frantic calls from the Thompson sisters.

"Wake up Kid, please?" Patty cried, both girls were shaking. Akane lay just steps away from the young reaper.

Lord Death knelt beside his son.

"Kid." he whispered reaching out an over sized hand to stroke his son's dark hair.

"What happened?" Liz and Patty slowly shook their heads.

"It was so fast, we were forced out of our weapon form by some kind of... I don't know, then the shadow...and Kid was in front of us and- He'll be fine won't he?"Liz carefully touched Kid's hand.

"He- we wouldn't be here now if-I'm so sorry." the girls broke into deep sobs at the thought of what had happened.

"This isn't your fault, and Kid's a reaper, we can take a lot more than you think. He's going to be fine. Don't worry." Lord Death found himself wishing he could follow that advice.

_Come on Kid, stay with us. It would break my heart to lose you. Please Son, come back to us now. I-I love you very much._ He hoped that somehow the young reaper would hear his thoughts and do as he asked.

"Alright Soul, let's try to get this under control, I need you to work with me on this. As soon as Spirit gets back we'll get you into surgery." Stein said to the sleeping boy on the bed. "Just stay here a little longer."

Soul had paled considerably in a matter of hours, his breathing was shallow and it was clear to Stein that the boy was dying. Stein turned his attention briefly to Crona who was now sitting up in bed weeping softly.

"Crona, what's the matter?" He asked.

"I-I don't know how I'm supposed to deal with this, my friends are dying and Ragnarok is d-"

"No he's not, if he had died, you would've too, you share the same body, he's probably just too weak to do much of anything. I know it's not much of a comfort and I'm sorry you have to see this. I can put him in another room if-"

"N-No, I don't want him to be alone no one should be. After everything he's done, I just can't-"

"We have a problem outside the death room," Spirit interrupted suddenly.

"I can't handle anymore problems right now, just look at him, he can't wait." Stein motioned to Soul

"Damn it, Maka's here, he can't do that now. What are you going to do, he'll need-"

"I don;t know yet but I need to stop it now, what's the problem with the death room?"

"Kid and Akane, they're hurt pretty bad." Stein sighed.

"We can't handle all this, I thought it was bad when it was just the sickness. We don't have a choice, go find Marie, she'll give you an address, try not to be gone long." Stein instructed, beginning to move Soul's bed. "Send someone down to watch over Crona while you're gone."

"I'll be fine, really, Soul and the others need you more right now." Crona dried his eyes o his sleeve.

"Papa, what's going on?" Maka's voice called as she limped into the room, holding onto whatever she could to keep herself on her feet, which were still shaking and causing her a great deal of pain.

"M-Maka, what are you doing down here, you should be-" The Meister gasped as she caught sight of her friends. Crona wrapped his arms around his stomach.

"Maka, are you okay?" Crona asked with deep concern.

"I'm fine. I-" She stared at Soul, moving closer until she reached his bed.

"Soul." she whispered reaching out to touch his hand, ignoring her own pain. "Soul, I'm so sorry. I don't know what to do to help you, I failed." She felt the tears running down her cheeks as she rested her head on his chest.

"Y-you didn't," Soul whispered back opening his eyes to look at her. "Just one more thing I need from you right now."

"What's that?"

"Look at me Maka." He said, waiting for to lift her head. Maka did as she was asked, her green eyes met Soul's piercing red eyes.

"You have to be strong for both of us right now, you haven't failed, I've always been proud to be your partner. No matter what happens, you can't save everyone Maka, as much as I know you want to, but you've saved me more times than you know."

"I don't want to lose you." She sobbed.

"I'm sorry Maka but we have to take him, we need to stop the bleeding, he's not-" Maka's heart dropped. She tried to shake it off.

"Right, Soul, I-I just don't want to say-"

"Don't. I'll see you soon, okay?" Maka smiled sadly.

"Yeah." She said, lowering her head to whisper once more in his ear before watching him being taken out of sight.

"Maka-" Spirit began to comfort

"He's so weak, Soul's never like that, I could tell he- Is there something else I can do?"

"Get moving Spirit!" Stein shouted.

"are you going to be okay?" Maka nodded and watched her father leave the room.

"Please don't cry Maka, He'll be okay."

"Yeah, he will. I just-"

"Do you need a hug?" Crona offered, Maka nodded and sat down on Crona's bed, leaning into him, He wrapped his arms around her, He knew what she had whispered to Soul and his heart broke for her. Crona loved Maka and her happiness was important to him. He hated seeing her cry.

"It's alright, I'm not Soul, but I can still be here to help you while he's sick. I know it's not the same."

"Thanks Crona. It means a lot to me."

"Damn it!" Stein shouted causing Maka and Crona to jump.

"What's wrong?" Maka called back in a shaking voice." Stein drew in a breath in a effort to sound calm.

"Maka, I can't promise it's going to make a difference or if it'll even happen but I need to ask you to do something for Soul." Stein called out.

"Whatever he needs, I'll do it. Just tell me what to do."

"We'll get to it in a few minutes, when Spirit comes back, I need you to give me a hand. You maybe the only one that can."


	11. Chapter 11

Crona's heart was breaking, he held Maka close as she sobbed. His eyes on the bed beside him.

_You promised you wouldn't leave her. I don't understand, this isn't supposed to happen. _He thought. He knew no words could comfort his friend. Nothing could ever mend her heart.

"Maka, I know it's not the same, it can never be like it was, and I'm so sorry but I'm right here for you." Crona said gently.

"I know it's not much of a comfort to you but Soul-"Spirit stopped, what could he possibly say to his daughter?

"He might still be able to save them, Professor Stein told me but that doesn't make it hurt less." Maka replied through tears. Spirit bowed his head.

"nothing will right now, I'm so sorry Maka. If I would've-"

"It not really your fault Papa, you didn't make them sick/ I didn't even get to-"She took in a deep breath, feeling Crona hold her tighter.

"It's going to be okay Maka, He wouldn't want you to cry, Soul- Soul loved you so much. I'm sure he knew you loved him too. That's why he wouldn't want you to be sad for him. You did everything you could."Crona soothed.

"No, I let him down, I let this happen. If I had just-I could have done better, I promised to be strong for him and-"

_It doesn't mean you're weak when you cry, Maka. There was nothing more you or anyone else could have done for me." _Maka could swear she heard Soul's voice beside her, she raised her head to look but found no one.

The realization caused her to burst into deeper sobs. He wasn't there, she knew that, it was only her mind playing tricks on her. Soul was gone.

_I'm so sorry Soul, I couldn't save you. _Maka thought to herself painfully. Crona suddenly released her, coughing into his fist. He was quick to reach out for a tissue to hide the crimson specks that appeared, he was grateful that Maka hadn't noticed as she was wiping away the tears from her cheeks.

"A-are you okay Crona?" She asked in a panic.

"I'm fine. Don't worry Maka," he told her, he had learned from Soul how to assure her in moments she needed it the most. He would have to be able to handle these situations now.

"I can't lose you both, Soul was-"

"He was a pretty big part of your life, I'd give him back to you if I could. I'm just so sorry." Maka's heart wrenching sobs were causing his own heart to ache. Soul had been right, Crona loved Maka and it was painful for him to see this pain.

"Damn that witch!" Maka cried suddenly angry. "She's taken everything. I can't let her get away with this. I-I'll kill her myself!"

"You can't do it by yourself Maka, You told me earlier that Kid was hurt pretty bad and he's a reaper, you can't forget that Soul would want you to be-"

"Soul would be here if she hadn't done this, so would the others. I couldn't help Soul, but I know he would want the others to be okay." She stood up from the edge of Crona's bed.

"Maka, what are you doing?" He asked.

"Leaving, I'm going to find her." Spirit rushed forward, grabbing her shoulder,

"Maka, you can't just go after a powerful witch alone and not in the state you're in." he protested, only to have Maka pull out of his grasp.

"You can't stop me Papa, I'm going to find her and then I'm going to stop her. I don't care what happens to me. I have to be brave now."

_There's a difference between being brave and being reckless and stupid Maka, doing something like this, especially on your own is pure stupidity, she's too strong for you. You can't fight her alone and as upset and angry as you are. _ Soul's voice came again as she left the room, tears still streaming from her eyes.

After watching Maka leave, Crona forced himself up and onto his feet, swaying slightly and wrapping his arms around his belly.

"Get back in bed, you're not strong enough to-"

"I can't, I promised Soul and I have to keep it. I want Maka to be safe, I'll bring her back." he took an unsteady step forward, nearly collapsing to the ground

"Crona!' Spirit cried as the boy caught himself, using the wall to become steady, ignoring the pain and dizziness.

"I'm fine, I can do this. I have to, for Soul and for Maka."

"Are you crazy, you'll get yourself killed, you can barely walk."Spirit pointed out.

"That's something I'll just have to deal with. Maka needs me." He said leaving spirit in shock. Once outside the door, Crona paused, leaning on the wall.

"Hey, Ragnarok, I know you hate me, and I can deal with that, I know you're sick but I need your help, Maka needs us now, she's going to fight the witch that made us sick, but she's so angry and sad, her whole world just fell apart and we need to help her. She was there for us when no one else was and...I love her. Please help me as much as you can." He pleaded continuing down the hall.

"Y=You idiot...if we die...I'll k-kill you, y-you little weakling.: The faint voice replied at last. Crona allowed himself a small smile.

"Thank you Ragnarok." he whispered back, he knew it wouldn't be easy, but if Maka needed him, he would follow her anywhere.


End file.
